Railroad car mover



July 12, 1966 c. LUDWlG RAILROAD CAR MOVER Filed May 5, 1964 INVENTOR. C421. L UD W/G mrormevs United States Patent 3,260,220 RAILROAD AR MOVER Carl Ludwig, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to McDowell- Wellman Engineering Company, a corporation of Ohio Filed May 5, 1964, Ser. No. 365,050 12 Claims. (61. 104176) This invention relates to a device or barney used to move a railroad car along a fixed trackway.

This invent-ion may be used where it is desired to selectively move a railroad car backward or forward along a fixed trackway. It is particularly adapted for use in moving cars into a rotary car dumper which is capable of clampingly engaging and rotating a car about its longitudinal coupler axis to cascade the bulk material contents thereof over one side of the car. With the advent of rotary couplers, there is no need for uncoupling the cars as they pass through the dumper. The cars to be unloaded are normally brought to the dumper site by a diesel or steam powered engine. From this point the cars are pushed or pulled by mechanical devices into and through the dumper. This particular invention provides a mechanical device which moves on a trackway below the railroad cars and selectively engages the underside of a car and pushes it along the trackway. As the cars are not uncoupled, this particular device may be located under the trackway immediately before or after the dumper location.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention, then, consists of the means hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, the following description and annexed drawings setting forth in detail certain illustrative embodiments of the invention, such disclosed means constituting, however, but a few of the various forms in which the principle of this invention may be employed.

In the annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is the fragmentary schematic side view of the barney in relation to a railroad car.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken in the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of FIG. 1.

Briefly stated this invention consists of a barney used to move a railroad car along a trackway. The barney includes a pushing arm which is pivotally secured to a pushing arm support or carriage which is conveniently mounted on pairs of trolley wheels adjacent its front and rear extremities. The trolley wheels are adapted to move along a first pair of spaced carriage supporting rails centrally disposed below and parallel to the trackway. The pushing arm has at its free extremity engaging means adapted to thrustingly engage the underside of a railroad car, e.g. a transverse bar or plate especially installed for the purpose, or existing rigid structure. Also included are cam means for holding the pushing arm in pushing relation to a railroad car including a cam follower secured to the pushing arm, means ttor raising and lowering the pushing arm. Any suitable means for moving the pushing arm support or carriage along the carriage supporting trackway may be provided.

Referring more particularly to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown a preferred form of barney generally indicated at 5. The barney 5 comprises a pushing arm support or carriage indicated at 6, mounted on pairs of trolley Wheels adjacent its front and back extremities, which wheels ride on a carriage supporting trackway centrally disposed parallel to and preferably below the main railroad car trackway; for example, the pushing arm support 6 is mounted on pairs of trolley wheels 7 and 8, which ride on a trackway 4 composed of rails 9 and 10, which are centrally disposed below the main railroad car trackway 3 composed Olf rails 11 and 12. The carriage or sup port 6 is composed of conventional-1y designed members. A substantially L-shaped pushing arm 13 is pivotally secured to axle 7a which also carries the rear pair of trolley wheels indicated at 7 and extendsin a direction forward of said rear pair of trolley wheels. At the free extremity of the pushing arm 13 are engaging means adapted to coast with mating means secured to the underside of a railroad car. In this embodiment of the invention the engaging means are a pair of outstanding finger portions 14 and 15 which form a groove or recess 16. The outstanding finger portions 14 and 15 are adapted to engage mating means secured to the underside otf a railroad car generally indicated at 17. In this embodiment of the invention, the mating means is a plate 18 which is adapted to fit in the recess 16. The plate 18 is secured to the underside of the railroad car 17 by any suitable fastening means. It should be understood that the free extremity of the pushing arm 13 may be adapted to coaot with any part of the railroad car adjacent the trackway; for example, the couplers, the axles of the trucks, the trucks themselves, or any portion of the undercarriage. A cam follower arm 19 is secured to the pushing arm 13 adjacent its free extremity. At its point Otf intersection, the cam follower arm 19 is substantially at right angles with the pushing arm 13; however, it may be angularly disposed to the pushing arm 13 so long as it provides support for the pushing arm 13 when it is in pushing relation to the railroad car. A pair of cam following wheels indicated at 21 are secured to the free extremity of the cam follower arm 19.

When the barney 5 is in its pushing position as generally seen in FIG. 1 the pair of cam follower wheels 21 secured to the cam follower support arm 19 are adapted to move along a second trackway 2 composed otf rails 22 and 2-3. This second fixed trackway or cam 2, is disposed parallel to, and preferably lies in the same plane as the carriage support trackway 4 and coasts With the cam follower to selectively maintain pushing arm 13 in engaged position. The wheel receiving recess 24 is adapted to receive the cam follower arm 19 and its attached pair of wheels 21, to selectively maintain the pushing arm 13 in disengage-d position indicated by the broken line drawings in FIGS. 1 and 2. In this position the barney 5 is brought back to its starting pushing position. It should be noted that the carriage supporting trackway 4 and the second trackway 2 are limited in length. Adjacent each end of the first cams 22-23 and recess 24, the supporting arm 19 with its affixed pair of wheels 21 is adapted to pass between the higher plane of the first cam rails 22-23 and the lower plane of the receiving recess 24. To accomplish this, means are provided for selectively shifting the cam follower between the first cam means, 22-23, and recess 24, respectively. For example, the lifter tables 25 and 26 or portions of the first cam trackway ra'ils 22-23 are mounted within the recess 24 adjacent each recess extremity below the points where the supporting arm 19 may be raised or lowered between the plane of the recess 24 and that of the first cam rails 22-23. Tables 25 and 26 may be raised or lowered by any suitable raising or lowering means, for example, a hydraulic jack, or a screw type worm gear jack. At the beginning of the first cam means, e.g. rails 22-23, or at a point where the pushing arm 13 is brought into pushing engagement with the railroad car, the lifter table 25 upon which the guide rollers are resting is raised to a position in line with the top of the rails 22 and 23 of the first cam (note the lined and dotted positions of table 25 in FIG. 1). The guide wheels 21 move from the surface of the lifting table 25 onto the rails 22 and 23 and the barney 5 is in pushing position as generally indicated in FIG. 1. The barney 5 is pulled along the first and second trackways 2 and 4 by any suitable pulling means, or it may be self-propelled. In this embodiment of the invention, the barney 5 is pulled by a cable 27 attached 'to a rotating drum 28. The drum 28 may be rotated by any suitable mechanical means. As the barney 5 reaches the other extremity of the trackways the other lifting table 26 is raised so that its upper surface is in line with the top of the rails 22. and 23. The guide wheels 21 roll onto the table 26. The table 26 is then lowered, causing the pushing arm 13 to become disengaged from the railroad car 17 (note the lined and dotted positions of table 26 as seen in FIG. 1). The table 26 is lowered until the pushing arm 13 and the cam fo llower arm 19 are in a position indicated in the broken line drawing of FIGS. 1 and 2. When in this disengaged position the pushing arm 13 is substantially in the same plane as the pushing arm support 6. The barney 5 is then returned or retracted to its starting position by another suitable pulling means. In this embodiment of the invention the barney 5 is pulled or retracted to its starting position by a cable 29 which is attached to a rotating drum (not shown). To keep the barney from being retracted or pulled beyond the points of engagement with, or disengagement from the railroad car, bumpers (not shown) may be provided at each extremity of the trackway which coact with the extremities of the pushing arm support 6.

Thus there has been provided an improved barney used in pushing a railroad car along a fixed trackway, and characterized by disposition below the cars and provided with means for selectively engaging the underside of the cans for moving them in a predetermined manner. This device, being centrally disposed below the main trackway,

following claims, .or the equivalent 01f such be employed.

It is, therefore, particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed as the invention:

1. A railroad car pushing barney for selectively engaging and moving a railroad car along a trackway, comprising in combination:

(a) a first pair of spaced carriage supporting rails disposed below and parallel to the trackway;

(b) a pushing arm supporting carriage movable along said carriage supporting rails;

(c) a pushing arm pivotally secured to said carriage on an axis transverse to the trackway;

(d) cam following means extending from said arm;

(e) means carried by said arm for thrustingly engaging a railroad car for movement thereof along the tr-ackway in response to movement of the carriage along the carriage supporting rails;

(f) cam means adapted to coact with said cam follower means for selectively maintaining said arm in engagement with said railroad car;

(g) a recess disposed adjacent said cam means for receiving said cam follower means while said car engaging means are out of engagement with said railroad car; and

(h) means for selectively shitting said cam follower between said cam means and said recess by pivoting said arm about said transverse axis.

2. The pushing barney of claim 1, wherein the engaging means (e) includes a pair of outstanding finger portions for engagement with mating means secured to the underside of a railroad car.

3. The pushing barney of claim 1, wherein means (h) includes raising and lowering means disposed adjacent one extremity of the recess.

4. The pushing barney of: claim 1, wherein means (h) includes raising and lowering means disposed adjacent each extremity of the recess.

5. The pushing barney of claim 1, wherein the cam following means (d) includes a support arm secured to the pushing arm adjacent its free extremity, said support arm having a pair of wheels secured to its free extremity.

6. The pushing barney of claim 5, wherein the recess is disposed below said first cam means.

7. The pushing barney of claim 6, wherein the cam means (f) includes a second trackway composed of a pair of parallel spaced rails on which the wheels of the support arm move.

8. The pushing barney of claim 7, wherein said second trackway is centrally disposed within and in the same plane as the carriage supporting rails.

9. The pushing barney of claim 8, wherein the means (h) includes:

(a) support means on which the wheels rest; and

(b) means for raising and lowering the support means.

It). The pushing barney of claim 9, wherein the support means including a portion of said second trackway.

11. The pushing barney of claim 10, wherein the means for raising and lowering includes a hydraulic jack.

12. A railroad car pushing barney for selectively engaging and moving a railroad car along a main trackway comprising:

(a) a carriage trackway disposed below and parallel to the main trackway;

(b) a second trackway disposed within the carriage trackway;

(c) a pushing arm supporting carriage movable along the carriage trackway;

(d) a pushing arm pivotally secured to the pushing arm supporting carriage on an axis transverse to the carriage trackway;

(e) engaging means secured to the free extremity of the pushing arm including a pair of outstanding finger portions for engaging a mating portion secured to the underside of the railroad car;

(f) a support arm secured to the pushing arm adjacent its free extremity;

(g) a pair of wheels secured to the free extremity of the support arm, and movable along the second trackway when the pushing arm is in pushing relation to the railroad car;

(h) a support arm receiving recess centrally disposed within and below and substantially coextensive with the carriage and second trackways, in which the free extremity of the support arm moves when the pushing arm is disengaged from the railroad car;

(i) raising and lowering means including a portion of the second trackway secured to hydraulic lifting means adjacent each end of the support arm receiving recess, coacting with the pair of wheels secured to the free extremity of the support arm for raising the wheels from the support arm receiving recess to the second trackway, whereby the pushing arm is rotated into pushing relation with the railroad car, and lowering the wheels from the second trackway to the support arm receiving recess, whereby the pushing arm is rotated out of pushing relation with the railroad car; and

(j) means for moving the pushing arm supporting carriage along its trackway including cable and rotating drum means.

References Qited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

F. W. MONAGHAN, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A RAILROAD CAR PUSHING BARNEY FOR SELECTIVELY ENGAGING AND MOVING A RAILROAD CAR ALONG A TRACKWAY, COMPRISING IN COMBINATION: (A) A FIRST PAIR OF SPACED CARRIAGE SUPPORTING RAILS DISPOSED BELOW AND PARALLEL TO THE TRACKWAY; (B) A PUSHING ARM SUPPORTING CARRIAGE MOVABLE ALONG SAID CARRIAGE SUPPORTING RAILS; (C) A PUSHING ARM PIVOTALLY SECURED TO SAID CARRIAGE ON AN AXIS TRANSVERSE TO THE TRACKWAY; (D) CAM FOLLOWING MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID ARM; (E) MEANS CARRIED BY SAID ARM FOR THRUSTINGLY ENGAGING A RAILROAD CAR FOR MOVEMENT THEREOF AND ALONG THE TRACKWAY IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF THE CARRIAGE ALONG THE CARRIAGE SUPPORTING RAILS; (F) CAM MEANS ADAPTED TO COACT WITH SAID CAM FOLLOWER MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY MAINTAINING SAID ARM IN ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RAILROAD CAR; (G) A RECESS DISPOSED ADJACENT SAID CAM MEANS FOR RECEIVING SAID CAM FOLLOWER MEANS WHILE SAID CAR ENGAGING MEANS ARE OUT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID RAILROAD CAR; AND (H) MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY SHIFTING SAID CAM FOLLOWER BETWEEN SAID CAM MEANS AND SAID RECESS BY PIVOTING SAID ARM ABOUT SAID TRANSVERSE AXIS. 